Cigar Assessor

Sunday, October 20, 2013

A few weeks back, I received a box with cigars from Altadis to review. The only problem was that UPS crushed the box and the Juan Lopez cigars inside. I put in a claim with UPS and Yasemin sent me out another sample pack so I could review them. I let the cigars sit in my humidor for a week or so. Today, I was excited to find the time to sit down for a cigar review. I paired this cigar up with a Virgil's Orange Cream Soda.

The Juan Lopez is a well constructed, chocolate brown, minimally veined cigar without discoloration spots or defects on the wrapper. The cigar feels nice and has a mild sheen to it. I smelled the foot and the aroma of hay and barnyard entered my nose. The stick had a strong smell of barnyard. I clipped the cap with my Tonino Lamborghini cutter. A beautiful cutter with a smooth guillotine action. I took a dry draw of spicy chocolate. I toasted the foot with my new Colibri Eclipse single torch lighter and took a nice open draw of full creamy smoke. Hints of cedar and wood are the notes I tasted. The grey dense doesn't fall during the first third. Full smoke continued to pump out and the burn was even. Nuts, citrus and white pepper notes fulled out the flavors of the first third.

The dense grey ash stayed attached to the stick close to the halfway point before it fell. The smoke remained full and the burn even. Toward the last part of this third the burn became slightly wavy. Hints of leather along with a nuttiness fill out the second section.

The last third and the band comes off without incident. No tearing, cracks or defects underneath. The burn evened out and the smoke continue flowing full and creamy. A sweetness along with spice and citrus is what I tasted. I smoked this robusto cigar until I couldn't hold it anymore.

This stick should retail between 5 - 6 dollars in most places. A good value for this cigar. It comes in three sizes. 5 X 54, 6 X 54 and 6 X 60. I smoked a couple and feel confident giving the Juan Lopez cigar the Cigar Assessor Approval. Give this cigar a try. You'll be glad you did. - October 19, 2013

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

A beautiful cigar on a beautiful day. I've smoked many of these and La Duena is one of my favorite cigars to smoke. A blend put together by Pete Johnson of Tatuaje Cigars and Janny Garcia of My Father's Cigars. So now, I was finally able to smoke one for a review. I will be paring this cigar up with a nice French red wine. La Vielle Eglise 2009 Reserve. In the video review, I thought I was drinking a Bordeaux like I was told but on further inspection it is a mix of Merlot, Malbec and Abouriou grapes. Very nice wine. This dark chocolate, boxed pressed, minimally veined cigar had the smell of barnyard and sweat on the stick and a little league baseball field and floral scents at the foot. The red and white band reminds me of a Victorian Cameo Brooch.

I clipped the cap and tasted spiciness and floral notes from the open dry draw. I toasted the foot and took a few drags of cedar flavor in it's full creamy smoke. Later hints of pepper, leather, wood, nuts and a tanginess are the flavors I tasted. The smoke was full and creamy and the ash was a nice dense ash that was grey in color. The burn was even.

The ash fell right before the first third of this smoke was completed and notes of cinnamon, roasted coffee, molasses and white pepper are what danced around my palate. The burn was almost even and full creamy smoke continued to pump out of this cigar. The band came off without incident of tearing and there wasn't any cracks, defects or glue underneath. So far, so good!

The last third and the ash fell again and the burn continued to be even. Cocoa, mild white pepper and molasses rounded off the last third of this cigar. Full creamy smoke and nice open draw continued throughout this cigar.

This cigar is a pleasure to smoke and I give it the Cigar Assessor Approved Cigar. If you see this cigar buy a few because if you just purchase one and smoke it, you'll wish you picked up more.
- October 7, 2013

Thursday, October 3, 2013

My friend and fellow cigar lover Casey Aldulaimi, turned me on to a Raices cigar one night. A cigar I enjoyed so much, when he placed another in my hand, I decided to save it for a review. This cigar is is a collaboration between Alec Bradley
Cigars and the Raices Cubanas factory which is located in Danli, Honduras.

I waited until after a dinner of baked white fish over spinach to pour myself and Irish coffee with Hennessy Black and walked outdoors to smoke the Raices robusto. This well-constructed, chocolate brown, minimally veined cigar, didn't have any soft spots and it's foot smelled like Hersey's Cocoa. The stick omitted a hay and sweat smell. After clipping the cap, I took a dry draw and found it to be open and tasted cinnamon and hay. I toasted the foot and cedar and a mild vanilla were the first flavor notes I tasted. As I smoked on I detected a creaminess flavor to the cigar along with hints of nuts, cocoa and white pepper in this first third. The ash was grey and dense with streaks of black and the burn was almost even. The smoke was full creamy smoke billowing from this stick.

As the even burn entered the second third, the smoke continued pumping out full and creamy and the ash held it's form almost to the halfway point before it fell for the first time. Hints of coffee, cocoa, nuts and white pepper are the notes I tasted. The band came off without incident of tearing and there weren't any cracks of defects underneath.

The last third and flavor notes of cedar, spice, citrus and salt are what I experienced in this fine cigar. The dense grey ash fell again and the burn remained even and the smoke full and creamy. I smoked this cigar until I couldn't hold it anymore.

The Raices cigar was an excellent smoke with a creaminess I haven't found in many cigars. This cigar is great for anytime of the day or night. I give this cigar the Cigar Assessor Approved Cigar stamp and recommend if you see this cigar you give this stick a try. You'll be glad you did. - October 2, 2013